Proverbs 22
22
1A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
3The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
4Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life.
5In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.
6Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
7The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
9The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.
11One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.
12The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.
13The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”
14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.
15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
16One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
17Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Saying 2
22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
Saying 3
24Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
Saying 4
26Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
27if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Saying 5
28Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
Saying 6
29Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
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Proverbs 22: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 22
22
1 A good name is better than many riches. And good esteem is above silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor have met one another. The Lord is the maker of them both.
3 The clever saw evil and hid himself. The innocent continued on and was afflicted with damage.
4 The end of moderation is the fear of the Lord, riches and glory and life.
5 Weapons and swords are on the way of the perverse. But he who guards his own soul withdraws far from them.
6 The proverb is: A youth is close to his way; even when he is old, he will not withdraw from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor. And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 Whoever sows iniquity will reap evils, and by the rod of his own wrath he will be consumed.
9 Whoever is inclined to mercy shall be blessed, for from his bread he has given to the poor. Whoever gives gifts will acquire victory and honor. But he carries away the soul of the receiver.
10 Cast out the one who ridicules, and conflict will go out with him, and accusations and insults will cease.
11 Whoever loves cleanness of heart, because of the grace of his lips, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over knowledge. And the words of the iniquitous are supplanted.
13 The lazy one says: "There is a lion outside. I might be slain in the midst of the streets."
14 The mouth of a foreign woman is a deep pit; the Lord was angry with him who will fall into it.
15 Foolishness has been bound to the heart of a child, and a rod of discipline shall cause it to flee.
16 Whoever slanders the poor, so as to augment his own riches, will give it away to one who is richer, and will be in need.
17 Incline your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Then apply your heart to my doctrine.
18 It shall be beautiful to you, if you preserve it in your inner self, and it shall overflow from your lips,
19 so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Therefore, I also have revealed it to you this day.
20 Behold, I have written it for you in three ways, and with meditations and knowledge,
21 so that I might reveal to you, firmly and with words of truth, in order to respond about these things to those who sent you.
22 Do not act with violence toward the pauper because he is poor. And do not weary the needy at the gate.
23 For the Lord will judge his case, and he will pierce those who have pierced his soul.
24 Do not be willing to be a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man,
25 lest perhaps you learn his ways, and take up a stumbling block to your soul.
26 Do not be willing to be with those who certify with their hands, and who offer themselves as a guarantee against debts.
27 For if you do not have the means to restore, what reason should there be for him to take the covering from your bed?
28 Do not cross beyond the ancient limits that your fathers have set.
29 Have you seen a man swift in his work? He shall stand in the sight of kings, and not before those who are disreputable.
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